1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to campers, boat trailers and utility trailers and more particularly, to a camper/trailer combination, including a camper which is mounted on the anterior portion of a wheel-mounted frame coupled to a towing vehicle and a trailer which is integrally provided on the posterior portion of the frame. The camper of the camper/trailer combination includes a door for accessing the camper interior, one or more windows provided in one or more walls of the camper in addition to storage, bedspace, kitchenspace and livingspace. A hitch receptacle is provided on the anterior end of the camper/trailer frame to engage a conventional ball mechanism mounted .on the rear of a towing vehicle. In one embodiment the posterior trailer portion of the camper/trailer combination is suitably shaped and adapted for carrying and easily accessing a boat and is provided with a pedestal and winch system which utilizes a conventional crank mechanism and winch line for launching and securing the boat on the trailer. In another embodiment the posterior trailer portion of the camper/trailer combination is shortened and modified to define a utility trailer which includes a rectangular panel pivoted to the rear edge of the trailer and defining a ramp for removing items from the trailer when angled downwardly from the rear edge of the trailer and acting as a tailgate when angled upwardly from the rear edge of the trailer.
One of the problems with conventional campers and boat or utility trailers is that of providing a camper of comfortable size and accommodations, with the capacity to launch and secure a boat, ATV, motorcycle or other sports vehicle. Conventional campers are typically mounted on the beds of pickup trucks and are therefore limited in size, to facilitate conveniently towing a boat. Larger campers and recreational vehicles are difficult to maneuver and manage when towing a boat, particularly during the boat launching process. Furthermore, large boats are typically difficult to access when loaded on a trailer, without climbing into the boat, to retrieve or store gear and supplies.
The camper/trailer combination of this invention is designed to provide convenience and flexibility for camping, recreational vehicle, sports vehicle and fishing enthusiasts. By providing a camper with convenient storage, bedspace and kitchenspace on a frame which also serves as a boat and utility trailer, the need for a motel or other lodging during fishing trips is obviated and the possibility of having the boat, motorcycle or all terrain vehicle stolen during the night is lessened. Furthermore, the camper/trailer design of this invention facilitates easy boat and bicycle, motorcycle, ATV or other sports vehicle loading and unloading, as well as convenient access when loaded.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Various apparatuses have been devised to carry items such as boats, bicycles, motorcycles and all terrain vehicles (ATV) in combination with a house or camper. U.S. Pat. No. 3,380,607, dated Apr. 30, 1968, to C. E. Dale, describes "Transport Equipment" which is characterized by a wheel-carried frame having an anterior enclosure with storage and livingspace and a posterior boat trailer, with an adjustable tilting member for raising the front of a carried boat to load the boat into a lake. The anterior part of the frame has a hitch for engaging a hitch mechanism on a flat-bed pickup truck. U.S. Pat. No. 3,556,582, dated Jan. 19, 1971, to S. H. Bledsoe, discloses a "House and Boat Trailer Apparatus" including a frame which is supported by wheels and is adapted for carrying a boat anteriorly and a camper mounted on the frame posterior to the boat-carrying portion of the frame. Approximately the anterior half of the camper is mounted on supports and overlaps the posterior half of the boat-carrying portion of the frame. The apparatus includes a hitch to allow towing by a truck or car. U.S. Pat. No. 3,649,064, dated Mar. 14, 1972, to Sherman H. Bledsoe, details a "Combination House and Auxiliary Trailer Apparatus", including an anterior auxiliary trailer and a posterior house trailer which is mounted on a common frame with the auxiliary trailer. The frame is supported on wheels and includes a forwardly-projecting tongue and hitch mechanism for connection to a towing vehicle at one end and a rearwardly-projecting tongue for alternative connection to a towing vehicle at the opposite end. U.S. Pat. No. 3,651,969, dated Mar. 28, 1972, to Sherman H. Bledsoe, discloses a "Combination House and Auxiliary Trailer Apparatus", including a frame carried on two pairs of wheels and a main closure mounted thereon. A pair of spaced tracks project rearwardly from the main closure and an extendible closure is carried thereon for telescopal receipt in the main closure. An auxiliary trailer is provided with a rear portion that is receivable between the tracks and includes a pair of support wheels and a retraction device for retracting the support wheels to an elevated position. A coupling mechanism is provided for coupling the auxiliary trailer to the rear portion of the house trailer. U.S. Pat. No. 3,751,073, dated Aug. 7, 1973, to William M. Alexander and Lawrence J. Stancik, details a "Method and Apparatus For Towing Trailers" which includes a frame, a first hitch disposed near the front end of the frame to connect the frame to a towing vehicle and a second hitch located near the rear end of the frame to connect the frame to a trailer. A support which is laterally mounted on the frame is adapted to hold the axle of the trailer being piggybacked. U.S. Pat. No. 4,188,056, dated Feb. 12, 1980, to Charles L. Watson, describes a "Combination Boat and Camper Trailer" characterized by an upper camper-supporting portion secured to a lower boat-supporting portion. The camper-supporting portion includes opposed pairs of parallel, inclined guide members supporting the camper for movement between upper and lower positions. U.S. Pat. No. Des. 268,101, dated Mar. 1, 1983, to Owen H. Pope and David W. Gibbard, illustrates and describes a "Combination Boat, Camper and Utility Trailer". U.S. Pat. No. 4,923,243, dated May 8, 1990, to Michael W. Drahos, discloses a "Trailer Transport Device" having an auxiliary frame structure attachable to the front end of a house trailer for supporting a boat or small automobile. U.S. Pat. No. 5,069,471, dated Dec. 3, 1991, to James A. Van Der Linden and John J. Van Der Linden, details a "Travel and Utility Trailer Combination" characterized by a house trailer with a wheel-mounted main frame which has two spaced side beams extending rearwardly thereof and supports a main closure or house. An auxiliary trailer is hitched to a portion of the main frame positioned between the side beams and side beam extensions are pivoted to the ends of the side beams, which are raised by a hydraulic linear motor to lift the auxiliary trailer wheels off the ground during travel.
It is an object of this invention to provide a new and improved camper/trailer combination characterized by a frame which supports an anteriorly-mounted camper having a door, a window or windows, storage facilities, bedspace, livingspace, and kitchenspace, which frame also includes a posterior wheel-mounted trailer suitably adapted for carrying a boat in one embodiment and a utility trailer with an adjustable tailgate in another embodiment.
Another object of the invention is to provide a camper/boat trailer combination which is characterized by a self-contained camper enclosure and boat trailer mounted on a common towable frame, with a boat cavity shaped in a boat-supporting area of the frame to accommodate the boat and a platform provided in the frame adjacent to the boat cavity to facilitate easily accessing the boat while the boat is on the boat trailer.